Paul Jewell has warned that “a lot” of Championship teams could face the financial problems of Portsmouth if they are not successful this season.

While Ipswich Town have kept spending to a minimum this summer with one eye on the new Financial Fair Play rules, many divisional rivals have spent big chasing the promised land.

Jewell has long maintained that football below the Premier League has changed and that the problems facing Portsmouth and Rangers were not isolated.

The Blues boss said: “Football, outside of that top level, is really tough.

“There are a lot of teams in our league that have all their eggs in one basket. If they don’t go up, I think we could see a lot more teams going the same way as Portsmouth.”

After last season’s big-spending on the likes of Lee Bowyer and Jimmy Bullard, Jewell has overseen a sea-change at Portman Road where the emphasis has been on free transfers and bargain signings such as Scott Loach, Luke Chambers and Elliott Hewitt.

This slightly changed on the final day of the summer transfer window when Jewell shelled out �1.5million on Peterborough striker Paul Taylor – his most expensive Town signing to date.

But the financial restrictions remain and could be one reason why Jewell has been unable to recruit a new loanee defender from the Premier League.

Depending on the terms of any loan deal, the fact Town’s wage bill has been significantly lowered might mean any new centre-back would actually be one of the biggest earners at Portman Road – despite the fact they belong to another club.